Dangerous Crab Cakes I
by Ultracape
Summary: Harm finds solace from Captain Kirk who also must face the harsh truths about himself. A missing scene from “Ready or Not.”


Dangerous Crab Cakes And Other Alien Life By Ultracape  
  
Summary: Harm finds solace from Captain Kirk who also must face the harsh truths about himself. A missing scene from "Ready or Not." Pairing (H/M) Category: Humor/angst Warning: Mild language Rating: PG for language Disclaimer: If they were mine things would be much different Feedback: Any and all appreciated Archive: Just let me know.  
  
AN: From Harm's juvenile behavior at the beginning of this episode, and pretty much throughout, he did manage a very sweet apology. I also noticed that after Harm's nasty remark to Mac at the Roberts' party, Sturgis followed him out. This is what and why I think it all happened.  
  
15:00 DST Robert's Residence (Forgot where it is)  
  
Cold beer, salty chips and a big screen television with surround sound blasting Star Trek's space battles into the deep recesses of the brain, numbing all thought. That's all a guy really needs, yeah! Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr., the best damn lawyer in JAG and the best damn pilot in the entire United States Navy, but not 'fair' enough to be a judge, took another swig of his forth Amstel's lite and saluted as an over the hill Captain Kirk still managed to charm the alien ladies.  
  
When the beautiful shapeshifter changed into a monster, he smirked in agreement as Dr. McCoy questioned, "You kissed that?"  
  
"Don't remind me," Harm mouthed along with Kirk's revulsion. That's no surprise. They're all like that, he mused. Beautiful, sexy, sweet and adoring, even compliant when they want something, like tickets to the Superbowl. But give them some power and they're monsters, power maniacs with an agenda, getting even for every little imagined slight through their gavels and rulings, always against him, he sneered. He grabbed a handful of snacks and threw them at the screen.  
  
"Enjoying yourself," the deep voice of Commander Sturgis Turner broke into Harm's thoughts.  
  
Harm tore his eyes away from the heroes' escape attempt through the ice to coldly glare up at his friend and sometime adversary. "Party too much for you?" he asked with a smirk. "Or did the honorable judge colonel Roy Bean finally rule against you?"  
  
The taunting dialog between Kirk and the shapeshifter who had turned itself into Kirk's doppelganger suddenly captured the two sailors' attention. "This reminds you of anyone, Commander?"  
  
Harm turned to Sturgis, "Noooo," he said. "Should it?"  
  
Sturgis finally plopped himself down on the couch next to Harm and scooped up some cashews which had fallen out of the serving dish, as Harm made a swipe at more chips, knocking more on the table and floor than he got into his mouth. Sturgis munched for a moment calmly while Harm continued to glare at him.  
  
"Well, who else in this room is so caught up with their own egos that they can't see the forest for the trees?"  
  
The fight between Kirk and his doppelganger caught their attention for a while. "Quite, this is my favorite part," said Harm.  
  
"Now that's no surprise, seeing as that you have so much practice."  
  
Harm glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?  
  
Sturgis sighed, "Buddy, sometimes you are such an ass."  
  
"That's me, blind, stupid, infantile, and proud of it," Harm took another swig of the warming beer.  
  
"Ah, so you admit that you've acted like a juvenile delinquent ever since Mac was assigned to sit on the bench."  
  
"And I have every right to," Harm belched and turned back to the television screen.  
  
Sturgis just stared at him shaking his head in dismay. What was it with these two?  
  
"She's your best friend, right?"  
  
Harm shook his head pointing with his beer bottle to the screen at Spock. "Now that's a best friend; no feelings to hurt, loyal unto death, defying all authority for the sake of his friend."  
  
"Except for the feelings to hurt part, which you're an expert at, sounds almost exactly like one Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie."  
  
"It used to," Harm mumbled swallowing the last of the now warm beer, surprised that it was all gone.  
  
"What did you say buddy?"  
  
Harm looked up. "What, you don't think she's getting even with me?"  
  
Sturgis just shook his head in exasperation. "You mean to tell me that right now, in the middle of this high profile trial, when Mac has just been handed the biggest challenge and boost to her career, and despite your infantile treatment of her, that if you went off on one of your crusades, she wouldn't drop everything to cover your six?"  
  
The truth of that statement nearly sobered the slightly buzzed pilot/lawyer. "Though I hate to admit it," he belched again but looked abashed, "yeah, she would." He rubbed hands up and down his face. "I know she would."  
  
Sturgis pushed a little bit more. "You know this is tearing her up inside."  
  
Harm looked at him as shame edged its way into his thoughts.  
  
"She has been fair to you Harm, and you know it."  
  
"She won't give me a break."  
  
"She's sticking to the letter of the law and it's killing her, but she's doing her duty. She's doing her job, Harm, despite the cost. She's a damn fine Marine, an example to all of us."  
  
Harm lowered the sound on the television and turned around to Sturgis but kept his eyes down. "She's better than me, you know."  
  
"Better than you?"  
  
"Yeah, and it's killing me to admit it. But she's a better lawyer, a much better judge than I'd ever be, just a better person. Hell, she's even braver than I could ever hope to be. Thank G-d she upchucks in F-14s or my self-image would be completely shot."  
  
Sturgis chuckled softly. "And she's also a damn good friend."  
  
"Yeah, the best I've ever had, better than I ever deserved. So are you for that matter."  
  
Sturgis took another hit on the cashews. "You gonna fix it now?"  
  
"Yeah, I will, as soon as I work up the nerve."  
  
"Well, I hope you don't wait that long," Sturgis chuckled as he got up, tempering his remark with a smile. "Coming back to the party?"  
  
"Yeah, in a minute, just let me police the area a bit."  
  
As he gathered the fallen food and picked up his empty bottles, the picture on the big screen caught his attention. Spock and Kirk were together again, admiring each other's strengths, not judging their weaknesses. "She's everything I aspire to be," Harmon Rabb, Jr. admitted to himself, "and I love her for it." 


End file.
